Science industry comes together online to share knowledge and provide technology solutions at this critical time

06 Apr 2020

Thousands of scientists and scientific manufacturers from across the globe have come together online at a Virtual Analytical Summit, as COVID-19 forces the postponement of key events in the science industry calendar.

The SelectScience® Virtual Summits offer a crucial platform for the science industry to continue to connect, share knowledge and provide technology solutions in order to advance science and health at this critical time.

More than 8,300 attended ‘live’ webinar presentations and virtual exhibit booths over 3 days of last week’s Virtual Analytical Summit. The event featured talks by eminent speakers, technology workshops, video interviews, virtual exhibitor booths featuring leading brands, product and application news, as well as live Q&As. With more than 42 presentations, the most popular drew crowds of up to 500 people, far more than most physical shows. The event content reached a further 400,000 people online as word quickly spread on social media.

SelectScience Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Kerry Parker, said: “Our new Virtual Summits are designed to support the industry at this difficult time to ensure communication and collaboration continues to flourish. We’ve been delighted by the response from across the industry, especially as we only had two weeks to announce and launch the summit.”

“This Virtual Summit represents a timely mechanism to collectively partner and envision next-generation technologies at a critical time in history,” said Prof. Long. “It provides a necessary moment to pause from the global chaos and envision the science necessary to help the world."

Headline themes up for discussion included food security, cannabis testing, materials science, life sciences, and pharma, with several presentations placing the spotlight on research into COVID-19.

Prof. Dyson said: “We are very fortunate that the infrastructure is in place for virtual communication. As scientists, as citizens, and as human beings, we can take advantage of these methods to connect with each other, perhaps to learn something new and set us thinking in new and productive directions.”

Eric Matthews, Vice President of US Sales and Business Development at BMG LABTECH, said: “It’s important to keep communication open through a Summit like this because the work that our customers are doing is critical for advancing not just infectious disease research, but other basic research. What we’re doing affects people at home right now – if we can continue to do our jobs, people are going to be healthier in the future and have more prosperous lives.”

This Virtual Summit represents a timely mechanism to collectively partner and envision next-generation technologies at a critical time in history.

Prof. Tim Long

Director, Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech

Dr. Turner added: "I think it's vitally important to continue the flow of knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas during this difficult time for all. This virtual summit is a great way to keep the analytical community connected."